Gobodo report to haunt new SABC chief?

“The new board now needs to look at the Gobodo report. They need to make sure that all issues pertaining to Solly Mokoetle have been satisfactorily handled,” Kate Skinner, spokesperson for SOS Supporting Public Broadcasting, told Bizcommunity.com last night, 4 January 2010.

The 2005 report allegedly implicated Mokoetle - an SABC former chief operations officer - in a R56 million commissioning scandal.

Mokoetle officially took up office as CEO on New Year's Day.

‘Some people' in Auckland Park are said to be using the report to showcase that Mokoetle is ‘corrupt', therefore not morally fit to be the public broadcaster's CEO.

Skinner also said the Gobodo report raises issues about commissioning.

Attention needed on commissioning issues

“I certainly think that one of the issues that the new board needs to do going forward is to look at commissioning issues. The content hub has certainly been a huge source of problems. Programming quality has not improved and yet there has been a ballooning of staff in the hub,” she lamented.

However, she advised the new board not to dwell too much on the Gobodo report, but confirm Solly's appointment and move forward.

“They need to move on this very swiftly because the issues facing the SABC are daunting. It is very important for the new board to have a good relationship with the CEO.”

Furthermore, some observers said the interim board, which was in charge of Mokoetle's appointment, should bring tangible proof that proper procedures were indeed followed.

Board's mandate ‘never fully clarified'

Skinner said: “The interim board now needs to assure us that the correct procedures were followed in terms of Solly's appointment.

“I am sure that they were very careful about this - they were keenly aware of the problems by poor labour practices in the past. The bigger issue however is - was the appointment of the CEO part of their mandate?

“The role of the interim board however was never fully clarified. In retrospect that was a problem.

“Ideally they should have waited for the new board to make the appointment.”

Despite the new drama, Skinner remains optimistic about the SABC's future, saying that if the new board handles these issues around Solly professionally, there is hope that the public broadcaster can slowly be revived.

“It is a pity the interim board rushed this appointment, but a number of other things that they did were positive - for example, getting the government guarantees.

“In fact, SOS has said all along that the minister should actually not be involved in the CEO's appointment. The minister's role is to set the policy framework in which the SABC operates. The board should appoint the CEO and hold the CEO to account.”